USDA has named 36 members of an advisory group that will consult with the department on developing its Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program
The group is informally called the Growing Climate Solutions Act Advisory Council for the law that authorized the program. The goal is to help USDA reduce barriers for those in agriculture to participate in markets like carbon credits.
The council will provide advice on methods to quantify and verify reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by reducing barriers to market entry and associated transaction costs. It will submit an initial assessment of the program to Congress and consult USDA on periodic assessments.
As required by the Growing Climate Solutions Act at least 51% of members must be active farmers, ranchers or private forest landowners. Terms for the initial board are staggered.
The membership:
Federal Government Employees
Nikola Smith, USDA Forest Service (1-year term)
James Whetstone, National Institute of Standards and Technology (2-year term)
Kathryn Zook, USDA Office of Energy and Environmental Policy (3-year term)
Venus Welch-White, Environmental Protection Agency (1-year term)
Agriculture Industry
Brent Bible, Indiana (3-year term)
John Bidart, California (3-year term)
Patrick Brown, North Carolina (3-year term)
Grace Brown, Texas (1-year term)
Jeanne Carver, Oregon (2-year term)
Andrea Chu, Texas (1-year term)
Sara Cover, Nebraska (1-year term)
Courtney Hall, Minnesota (3-year term)
Mitchell Hora, Iowa (2-year term)
Brandon Hunnicutt, Nebraska (3-year term)
Mark Isbell, Arkansas (3-year term)
Tom McDonald, Colorado (3-year term)
Roger Noonan, New Hampshire (1-year term)
Dan Sonke, California (2-year term)
Thomas Titus, Illinois (2-year term)
Private Forest Landowners or the Forestry and Forest Products Industry
Claire Getty, Tennessee (2-year term)
Edie Hall, District of Columbia (3-year term)
Rachael Jamison, District of Columbia (2-year term)
Hector Restrepo, North Carolina (2-year term)
Scientific Research Community
Ann Bartuska, District of Columbia (2-year term)
Timothy Baye, Wisconsin (1-year term)
Jason Rowntree, Michigan (3-year term)
Voluntary Environmental Credit Market Expertise
Ryan Schauland, California (3-year term)
McKenzie Smith, California (2-year term)
Nongovernmental or Civil Society Organization
Nathan Truitt, District of Columbia (2-year term)
Bryan Van Stippen, Minnesota (3-year term)
Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, District of Columbia (1-year term)
Private Sector Voluntary Carbon Market Participation
Max DuBuisson, Massachusetts (3-year term)
Kate Ivancic, Minnesota (2-year term)
Spencer Plumb, District of Columbia, (1-year term)
Other Individuals Deemed Necessary by the Secretary
Ben Nelson, Iowa (2-year term)
Julius Pasay, Oregon (1-year term)
